15nengo
by surrethereal
Summary: With the celebration of Miyako and Ken's Christmas miracle comes a reunion. This reunion, however, is turning out for the worse as old friends specifically Taichi and Yamato struggle to put 15 years of tension aside. ShounenAi, Yamachi Taito
1. Kisei Miracle

15nengo  
  
Disclaimer: Dejimon Adventure/02 belongs to Toei Animation & Bandai. Not to me. Not even to Saban.  
  
Summary: Miyako and Ken have been blessed with a Christmas miracle, and with the celebration of this miracle comes the reunion of old flames, long-lost friends, and estranged siblings. This reunion, however, is turning out for the worse, as revelations of the past unfold and old friends - more specifically, Taichi and Yamato - struggle to put 15 years of tension aside. WARNINGS: drama, of course, angst, and romance, mostly centered around dousei-ai (YAMACHI/TAITO).  
  
**IMPORTANT NOTE**: The Yamachi/Taito will be rather long and drawn out, unfortunately. In fact, it won't appear in the first couple of chapters or so. And I'm not QUITE certain about it yet, but there probably will be a small number of other sub-stories as well, that focus around the Taichi-Hikari dynamic (which I love almost as much as the Yamato-Taichi one), unrequited Daikari, unresolved Takari, and the Takaishi-Ishida family conflict.  
  
_A/N_:

Jyou (Joe) ----- 30 years old

Yamato (Matt) ----- 29 years old

Taichi (Tai) ----- 29 years old

Sora ----- 29 years old  
  
Koushirou (Izzy) ----- 28 years old

Mimi ----- 28 years old

Michael ----- 28 years old  
  
Miyako (Yolei) ----- 27 years old

Ken ----- 26 years old  
  
Daisuke (Davis) ----- 26 years old

Takeru (T.K.) ----- 26 years old

Hikari (Kari) ----- 26 years old  
  
Iori (Cody) ----- 24 years old

**and**

**teme** ----- bastard; bitch; asshole, you get the drift  
  
**kuso** ----- damn, oh crap, etc.  
  
**saa** ----- well, um....  
  
**gomen kudasai** ---- Excuse me, pardon  
  
**domo arigatou gozaimasu** ----- formal way of saying thank you  
  
**shitsuree shimasu** ----- I'll be leaving now, in a polite manner  
  
**Omisoka** ----- the day of New Year's Eve  
  
**Shogatsu** ----- celebration of New Year's Day  
  
**bonenkai** ----- an end of year party, typically held by office colleagues and bosses.  
  
**domo arigatou** ----- thank you in an informal manner

Prologue: Kisei Mirakuru

It was that time again in Yokohama. It was the day the city was bathed in white, crimson, scarlet, and viridian and forest, and every home had a tree in it, decorated with candles, void stocking just waiting to be filled, and an exquisite array of different lights. Under every tree was a miniature mountain of presents. It was the day preceding an ancient hillbilly's supposed birthday (Christ, his name was); the day before that portly, queer sort of fellow with an abnormal amount of facial hair, who went by the alias of Santa Claus, came. 

It was, of course, Christmas Eve ----- 2017 to be exact ----- and all the young, taken Japanese women nationwide were going out on romantic dates.  
  
...save for one violet-haired, bespectacled woman sitting in a blue Mazda mini-van, fuming in the passenger's seat. She sat with her arms crossed over her chest, her lips pursed. Every now and then she threw a disgruntled look to her husband, who ignored her and drove on with the same infuriatingly stoic look on his face.  
  
Finally, she spoke up. "C'mon, let's stop by one fancy restaurant, just this once," She wheedled, tugging at her husband's shirt's sleeve.  
  
Her husband smiled benignly, his eyes still on the road. "No." He said serenely.  
  
The woman scowled, but a second later she brightened. "What about the bathroom?" She suggested slyly.  
  
The man's face remained devoid of emotion, although a suspicious tinge of pink appeared on his cheeks. "No."  
  
"Damnit, Ken, its Christmas Eve!" The woman blurted out, her face scarlet. "I don't want to spend the whole day sitting in the doctor's office for hours on end!"  
  
"Don't be silly, Miyako, we still have the rest of the evening to celebrate Christmas Eve." Ichijouji Ken said, his expression unchanging.  
  
Miyako muttered something that suspiciously sounded like _teme_, and did not speak another word to her husband for the rest of the drive.

-----  
  
**An hour later, in the urban area of Yokohama, in Nakamura's office**  
  
"Its nice to see you again, Miyako-san," Dr. Nakamura greeted the seething woman warmly. "How are you?"  
  
"Peachy." She said stiffly, flopping onto her seat.  
  
"That's good to hear," He said airily. "Been enjoying Christmas Eve?"  
  
That hit a nerve. "Have you?" She countered. "I mean, it must be very enjoyable and all, taking care of sick people all day."  
  
"Miyako!" Ken laughed weakly. He bowed to Nakamura-san, and then said in an apologetic voice, "I'm sorry, Nakamura-san, she's been a bit moody lately --- the pregnancy's getting to her-----"  
  
But Nakamura, being the kindly 50-something year old man he was, just smiled. "Its quite alright, Ken." Nakamura said, dignified. He turned to Miyako and said gaily, "I wouldn't call it enjoyable, Miyako, but its been nice, tending to the ill. Everybody's come down with such bad colds lately. Don't want them to ruin the occasion, you know."  
  
Something in Miyako must've softened then; she seemed less hostile. "Well are we going to make use of this thing?" Miyako asked gruffly, cocking her head towards the sonography machine.  
  
Nakamura beamed. "Mmm." He answered, setting up the machine. When he was done, he peered at the resulting sonograph.

"Well?" Miyako asked impatiently.

Nakamura flashed Miyako a cheeky grin. "Well..." He said slowly. "As you know, you're pregnant--"  
  
Miyako looked like she was having difficulty restraining herself from rolling her eyes.  
  
"But what you don't know is that you're not pregnant with just one child."  
  
"What?" Miyako and Ken asked in unison, the two of them looking surprised.  
  
Nakamura nodded. "You're having twins." He said simply. "Twin boys, to be exact. Fraternal or identical, I don't know. That remains to be seen."  
  
"Twins," Ken murmured in dazed euphoria. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and Miyako couldn't help but smile, too. She slipped her hand in Ken's.  
  
"Guess we've got more than enough for a Christmas present, eh, Ken?" She asked rhetorically, laying her head on Ken's shoulder.  
  
"Aa." Ken agreed. He still couldn't believe it. "Twins...." He murmured again, and not for the last time that day.

-----  
  
**Five days later, far from Yokohama**  
  
In a decent house in the suburbs on the outskirts of the city of Akita, a man slept on his worn-out sofa, still wearing last night's clothes. He was sleeping on his stomach, his unusually unkempt and tousled flaxen hair all strewn out at his sides. His face was buried in a pillow, but if one could've seen his face, one would've taken in the face of a once handsome, now wasted man, who had black circles forming under his eyes. The eyes of a man who hadn't had shut-eye for a good maybe 80 hours. The man, after all, was an astronaut, and he had just returned from a mission to Mars.  
  
He had been in the middle of a pleasant dream, one where his vapid, irksome co-workers had met their untimely doom with the single stroke of his fearsome frying pan, and his patron, by means of being suffocated by a pair of chopsticks that were thrust into his nose. A smile was tugging at his lips as he dreamt all this with relish --- a little self-conscious guilt at the side maybe, but mostly with relish.  
  
Suddenly, the tranquil atmosphere was shattered with an "ERRHHHHHHHHHHHH" followed by a subsequent and resounding "KUSOOOOOOOO!!!!"  
  
At the sound of his vexing doorbell that was more like an fire alarm than anything else, Yamato fell to the floor with a loud crash, accompanied by a stream of curse words. Yamato bolted to his feet, and jerked the door open to a sweatdropping, relatively young mailman, who had taken in the miffed expression still fixed onto Yamato's face.  
  
"Ahh, _gomen kudasai_." He said, bowing slightly. "I don't mean to bother you, but I have mail here for you." He waved an envelope as evidence.  
  
Yamato inwardly cursed at himself for not having yet set up a mailbox. "Ah yes, _domo arigatou gozaimasu_." He managed a small bow that was really limited to the slight bent of his head, and quite literally seized the envelope from the mailman, who looked slightly affronted.  
  
"_Saa_..._shitsuree shimasu_." The mailman said, shooting Yamato a surreptitiously nasty look before turning his back on Yamato.  
  
"Yes, well, goodbye then." Yamato said, not looking at the mailman, but at the package. He still looked surly, and he ripped open the envelope then and there, and unceremoniously yanked out...a greeting card?  
  
A card! Yamato thought, his eyebrows furrowing. Who the hell sent me this?  
  
Dear Yamato-san,  
  
We are delighted to announce that we are going to be blessed with twins in a little less than nine months. In honor of our soon-to-be-born twins, we are holding a party in celebration of _Omisoka_ and _Shogatsu _--- a _bonenkai_ of sorts. The coming of next year is more precious to us, now more than ever. It would mean a great deal to the two of us if you came. Give us a call at 045 1234-5478. _Domo arigatou_!  
  
Yours truly,  
  
the Ichijoujis  
  
_E/N_: I'm not sure, but I think some offices are open on Christmas Eve, and they just close early. Even if this isn't the case, let's just pretend it is for this story's sake : ) Anyway...


	2. Shinboku: Yearning

**IMPORTANT NOTE**: This fanfic is, of course, based off the 2027 epilogue in the actual series; however the lives of the Chosen Children here do not EXACTLY mirror theirs in the infamous Episode 52. Miyako, Mimi, Taichi, and even Yamato have slightly different jobs (Yamato was not always an astronaut in this fic). For another thing, some of the second generation of Chosen Children have already been born or are going to be born soon (i.e. Miyako's twins).

Oh and...'**touchan** means daddy/papa/dad/father and '**kaachan** means mommy/ma/mom/mother.** Sugoi** means wow/oh cool/how amazing. **Otoutou-chan** means 'little brother'. **The Central League** is one of 2 major baseball leagues in Japan. **Nihon Koku Jieitai** is the Japanese air self-defense unit. The band names **Nittle Grasper **& **Bad Luck**, and the character of **Shindou Hikaru** are property of Maki Murakami and Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata respectively. **Saiba Rei** is an original character of the Digimon V-Tamer manga.

Oh yeah, and the lyrics of the song below are mine.

-----

**Chasing after Ghosts (Yearning For a Christmas Miracle)**

_15nengo no Theme_

Staring ahead, beyond a veil of falling peach blossoms/I saw the faint, uncertain outlines of two shadowy figures/walking ahead in the distance, talking and laughing/The ghost of the past, a memory of you and me

Beyond the glare of the viridian, scarlet, and white city lights/I can make out the glimpse of a shooting star across the sky/The yearning for a Christmas miracle overflows my heart/If only I could bring back to life those innocent days!

Disquieting mirages, I've conjured them up all too much lately/Remembrances of a time that has passed all too long ago/How many more painful memories will I conjure up tomorrow? I'm fighting a losing battle, chasing after ghosts

I was cold, so I wrapped the scarf around my neck a little tighter/but instead of the feel of the wool falling around my shoulders/I felt the surreal warmth of your arms shielding me from winter/ and when I looked up I saw your smiling face

Reaching out my hand to rest across your cheek/only to feel the empty, cold chill of an incoming high wind/How many more fading dreams will I have in the future? Chasing after ghosts, I can't find it, my reality

Disquieting mirages, I've conjured them up all too much lately/How many more fading dreams will I have in the future? I'm fighting a losing battle, chasing after ghosts/The yearning for a Christmas miracle overflows my heart/If only I could bring back to life those innocent days!

-----

Chapter 1: Shinboku Friendship/Reunion, Part I

The mystery that is our origins. The Loch Ness Monster, the Abominable Snowman. Where Waldo is, the density of some politicians' heads, and the overall insipidity of some people...all fascinating phenomenon, to be sure, but none half as intriguing as the behavior and attitude of the female sex, which is more befuddling to the man's mind than the rest of the former combined.

...not excluding Ken Ichijouji, who stared at his wife in incredulity, shook his head, and went back to reading his daily newspaper. His wife, Miyako, had been on the phone with her best friend Mimi Tachikawa for the past two hours, and in the back of his mind Ken marveled at his wife's seemingly boundless energy.

However, Miyako _was_ low in energy, and patience as well. What Ken did not know was that Mimi, not Miyako, had done the talking for the past two hours. She had recently become Mrs. Mimi Michael McKenzie, and was quite enthusiastic to tell anyone who would listen about her honeymoon with Michael. Poor Miyako was face-faulting at the other end of the line, but Mimi would not know her friend's distress. Miyako had tried to change the subject, of course, but every attempt she had made every 15 minutes or so, had been done in vain. Mimi was simply not going to shut her trap until she was done, and that was that.

"...and _then _guess what happened?" Mimi did not wait for an answer. "We MADE LOVE!"

"Seriously?" Miyako gasped in a mockingly shocked voice. "I didn't know people did those kind of things on their _honeymoon_."

Somehow, Mimi missed the caustic tone in Miyako's remark, and carried on, bubbly as ever. "Yeah, well, we did. And damn, Miyako, was it _hot_! The pressure Michael had on my hips-"

As Mimi blabbed on, Miyako turned an odd color somewhere between purple and green. Mimi was simply giving too much information. Her three and a half year old daughter, Minami, evidently took in the appalled look on her mother's face. She tugged at her father's sleeve, and whispered fearfully, "'_Touchan_, '_Kaachan_ looks like she ate bird poo and boogers. Should I call the doctor?"

Ken sweatdropped. "That won't be necessary, darling," Ken said, forcing a falsely bright smile, "She'll be fine."

"If you say so, '_Touchan_," Minami said dubiously, still looking at her mother apprehensively as if she expected her mother to die of poison any second.

"Oh man, I'm definitely spent after that love-making session." Mimi sighed, content.

_Good, she's done._ Miyako thought with relief as her face turned back to its normal coloring. "That's great, Mimi," Miyako began.

"_Great_! That was _awesome_! Hmm...maybe we can cheat time and pretend our anniversary is a year early-"

"MIMI!" Miyako interrupted loudly. "I've got something to tell you."

"Hmm? What is it?" Mimi asked in mild interest.

"Well, I'm having a party-"

"OH MY GOD!" Mimi shrieked so loud, Miyako was momentarily forced to put the phone a good distance away from her ear. "A party!" Miyako could practically hear Mimi dancing on her toes with excitement.

"Yes, a party," Miyako said, grinning despite herself. "in celebration of _Omisoka _and _Shogatsu_, and, more than for anything else, in honor of my twins."

"Twins?"

"I'm having twin boys." Miyako said effervescently.

"Awwww." Mimi gushed.

"Yeah, I know," Miyako said, sounding smug and pleased.

"Didja' name them yet?" Mimi inquired curiously.

"I was thinking Ayumu and Ryuu." Miyako confided.

"_Sugoi_!...Everybody's coming for the party?" Mimi questioned.

"Well, cards have been sent to Takeru and the others; I called up you and Ken called up Daisuke. Daisuke's going to stay with us - he's coming back tonight, in fact. Koushirou arrived two days ago. Takeru arrived last weekend; Jyou, the other day. Sora's already here as well. And Hikari and Iori visit regularly..." Miyako's voice became slightly elegiac. "But I'm not sure if they're all coming. I haven't talked to the rest of them...in quite a long while."

That was the understatement of the past decade. Miyako knew, for the most part, what was going on in the lives of her other friends, but she hadn't actually kept in touch with them. What she knew about them she had found out from the news (a few of them had become rather famous) or from slight mentions of their other friends either Mimi, Iori, Ken, or Hikari had made. In fact, she had not sent out greeting cards all by herself; Mimi, Iori, Ken, Daisuke, and Hikari had helped. It was simply too complicated for just one person to find out the phone numbers and addresses of everyone and call them up.

Iori, who Miyako had known ever since childhood, had married off a rather rich, but modest, older woman named Ayumi, and the two had recently celebrated their second anniversary. They, too, were residing at Yokohama, and already nursing a two-year old daughter named Miho. Iori had become a successful lawyer, making a good $30,000 a year. He had recently won a big case for the family of a victim in a murder mystery; he had landed the suspect in jail for a lifetime, with no chance of parole. Miyako was more than proud how her '_otoutou_-_chan_', as she called him, was upholding justice, and she could not wait until his next visit. Iori and Miyako had stayed close over the years.

Mimi was working not only as a wedding planner, but as a party caterer and part-time chef as well. Mimi was currently residing in New Jersey, where she had bought a marble mansion and was living with style. She had just gotten married to Michael McKenzie, her high school sweetheart, and had gone to Rome for her honeymoon, and, evidently, had glorious, wham-bam sex. Mimi had strangely gotten closer to Sora, who she had rarely even talked to during her childhood. Sora was her personal fashion assistant.

Daisuke, whose friendship with Ken had remained in tact, had seemingly gotten over his crush on Hikari but had become a close and faithful friend to her. He was engaged to a woman named Saiba Rei and was marrying sometime soon. He lived in Sapporo, where he managed a successful food business known worldwide. He was the manager of a large chain of ramen noodle restaurants. He was, of course, a celebrity. Daisuke had basked in the glory of his fame; he had done everything from throw the first pitch for the Yomuiri Giants of the Central League to perform with his favorite band, Nittle Grasper, a famous cross-dressing synth-pop boy band, going as far as to dress as a woman like them and play a little guitar (air guitar, of course). Daisuke had also taken up a dare by Ken to kiss Shindou Hikaru, a well-known Japanese Go player who was presenting an award with him, at an awards ceremony that was playing on live TV.

Sora was a fashion designer whose line of clothes was very popular. As for her personal life, Miyako didn't really know, Sora and Yamato were very reserved people who didn't like to talk about it, and rarely anyone kept in really close contact with them, save Mimi and Koushirou, who had been a friend of Sora's all throughout childhood and beyond. However, it appeared Sora and Yamato had gotten married at some point, had a couple of kids, and divorced. When they had parted ways, it was all over the tabloids, Sora being very famous and all; it was hard not to know the fairy tale couple had broken up. Also, according to rumors, she was now in a steady relationship with some mystery man. Among the more ludicrous, outlandish tabloid talk about Sora was that she was in a torrid love affair with the President of the United States, who was a whopping 30 years older than her.

Sora had moved from Akita, where she and Yamato once lived together, to Kyoto. She had gotten custody of both children, although Yamato was permitted to visit them regularly. Yamato, who was a musician back then, composing and writing lyrics, sometimes playing back-up for popular j-rock bands, had apparently quit the music business after Sora and him went their separate ways. He had disappeared for a while after; no one knew what happened to him, not even his brother Takeru. However, Jyou had found out from a radio newscast that he worked for NASDA, which is in charge of Japanese space development. A team at NASDA had recently gone to Mars and came back just three weeks ago. Jyou had managed to catch Yamato's name amidst the newscaster's droning voice.

Jyou was semi-famous; he was a well-known doctor locally in Nana, and he was greatly loved by his patients. He was a wonderful man, both with his work and his personality. He was highly recommended as a physician, and he had a good salary. He had a surrogate child, a four year old son named Kiyosato, with a woman named Kanna, who had a sterile husband. He often consulted Koushirou, who had become quite the renowned medical researcher. He had made several medical breakthroughs, like discovering the cause of tumors and even finding artificial means by which males could give birth, although the latter technology was rather new and long-term effects were unknown.

Also, many men preferred not to risk it; they want to keep their masculinity. Even gay men who wanted to raise families avoided such technology; same-sex marriage had long been permitted, but was still met with opposition by many. Also, adoption of kids by homosexuals was still taboo. Anyway, many gay men and lesbian women still preferred to keep their sexual orientation in the closet; gays and lesbians were discriminated against in employment, housing, and many other things.

About Koushirou though, Koushirou had married a long-haired beauty named Naoko and the two had just recently gotten their first child, a daughter named Sakamoto. They were living together in Nagano.

Takeru, meanwhile, was a struggling writer living in Osaka. He was currently writing children's books that did ok, not too spectacularly. His salary was slightly lower than average, but he seemed satisfied enough. He was currently engaged in an on-and-off-again relationship with a woman named Midori. He had dated Hikari for a while back in high school, but the two had broken up. The two were still friends somewhat, but they were strangely formal with one another nowadays. Once best friends like their brothers, they, too, had grown away from one another. Miyako personally found it sad - she had prided herself as the number 1 'Takari' shipper and had been more than delighted when the blind date she had set up for Takeru and Hikari (Takeru and Hikari's first date, in fact) had gone rather well - but if Takeru and Hikari didn't want to be together anymore, she was not one to say anything.

Hikari had dated here and there, even some females, but none of her relationships were serious. She wasn't currently dating; and happily single, she claimed. Yet Miyako caught the wistful (maybe a little shocked and embarrassed) look in Hikari's eyes whenever the two hung out in public and they caught sight of young couples spit-swapping. She still lived in Odaiba, Tokyo, where she taught kindergarten. She had moved into a new house, and had taken her ailing mother, Hanako (her father Yuuji had died a few years ago) with her. She maintained a very close friendship with Daisuke over the years, even though her relationship with her own brother, Taichi, was waning.

Surprisingly, the vociferous former leader of the Chosen Children was the one she knew the least about. Whenever Miyako asked of her brother's well-being on the phone it seemed to Miyako Hikari would become taciturn on the other end for a few minutes, and she would speak of him in a strained sort of voice. Some kind of fight, Miyako surmised, had probably happened among the Yagamis shortly before Taichi went off and joined Japan's military.

Nor Sora or even Yamato knew what was going on with their old friend. Once inseparable and very close-knit, Taichi and Yamato had extemporaneously drifted apart - completely broken off all contact with each other after Yamato and Sora hooked up (Miyako suspected it was because Taichi liked Sora). Taichi had busied himself with soccer and cram school, Yamato with Sora and his band.

Yamato and Taichi never hung out, and even when the group of the 12 of them went out, Yamato preferred Sora's and Jyou's company, Taichi, Koushirou's. The other Chosen Children were worried, of course, but reasoned they were growing up and away from one another, and there was nothing any of them could do to save Yamato and Taichi's friendship.

News on Taichi was limited to Hikari's knowledge of him, and Hikari was rather discreet about it. Indeed, it seemed about Taichi when you were with her; her usual kindly, good-natured countenance would make a drastically overt change. She would become slightly agitated, if not a bit waspish.

From what little Miyako and the others could gather, she found out that he kept a monthly correspondence with the Yagamis, but Miyako had the feeling that Taichi only did so out of filial piety. From a recent letter, the Yagamis found out he had graduated university with a business major and was currently living in Hiroshima. He was working under the postal service as a pilot and as a part-time major for the _nihon koku jieitai_.

Also, Miyako had managed to discover, if only by accident by watching TV one day, that he had played a role in helping to put down a brief military crisis in 2008. The Digital World and the Real World were on the brink of war with one another at the time, and five military officials had come up with a highly successful key strategic peace plan that was still in effect today. Their names were briefly mentioned in the news report, and Miyako caught Taichi's name.

As for Miyako herself, she had wedded Ken through an arranged marriage. The marriage was an immediate success; at least in terms of finances. Ken was well-paid; he was an excellent, well-to-do plainclothesman. Miyako herself was a wealthy game guru; she and her co-workers had created many hit computer and video games alike that included Nirvana, a RPG game that was compared to the classic Ragnarok Online, and Realm Gemini, the biggest thing to hit Japan since Final Fantasy.

In terms of love, however, the marriage might've bombed. Miyako hadn't been too thrilled at marrying Ken (he was very handsome, yes, but he was always a bit too polite and one never knew what was really going on in his mind). She had gotten over her childish crush on Ken and had learned to greatly respect the soft-spoken, well-mannered boy genius for his sweet disposition and his heart of gold rather than his good looks, but she didn't love him - at least, not as a lover; not then.

Times had changed, however, and so had her heart. She had grown to adore Ken, and, in time, truly be in love with him. Ken, too, had learned to grow fond of the boisterous, loud, machine-infatuated woman. Now they had a beautiful four-year old daughter and, soon, they were going to have two twin boys. Miyako had no reason to want to go back in time and start over for anything. Yet Miyako found herself regretting the past 15 years as she fell silent.

"...Miyako? You alright?" Mimi spoke up at the other end of the line, concerned.

Miyako shook herself out of her reverie. "I'm fine." Miyako assured Mimi. "So anyway, about that party, are you coming?"

"Hell yeah, I wouldn't miss this party for the world!" Mimi affirmed with ecstasy.

Miyako was about to reply when a _beep _sounded.

"Hey, Mimi? Could you hold up for a sec? I got another call..."

"Yeah, sure."

Miyako pressed on the button reading FLASH, and then, brightly, she said, "Hello, Ichijouji residence!"

"Hi there stranger." chirped a familiar voice.

The grin that been on Miyako's face slightly faltered. "Izumi-san." She cautiously addressed Koushirou's wacky, eccentric adoptive father. He was rather close to the Chosen Children, and once, when he had evidently grown tired of flirting with the nurses at his nursing home (which was his favorite past-time there), he had went and prank-called Miyako and tricked her into believing she won a prize from the radio to see her favorite j-rock band, Bad Luck. She was wearily wondering what Mr. Izumi had in mind in calling her this time.

"The one and only." Mr. Izumi said cheerfully. "Well anyway, I'm not here to prank-call you today, I'm just here to tell you for Koushirou that he's just gone to pick up that Taichi fellow."

"_Taichi_? Seriously?" Miyako exclaimed, disbelieving. "He's actually coming? How'd Koushirou get a hold of him?"

"Hikari's not the only one Taichi keeps in touch with, y'know." Mr. Izumi reminded Miyako. "Taichi called him a few days ago, actually, to tell him that he got the invitation and he already bought the tickets to fly here from Hiroshima, but Koushirou just got here a couple of days ago; he's exhausted, so he didn't tell you right away like he would've. Koushirou's going to pick him up at Haneda Airport tonight. He'll be staying with Koushirou."

"Great!" Miyako said more exuberantly than she felt. She wanted Taichi to come, of course, but she was wondering uneasily in the back of her mind how his meeting with Hikari would play out. Suddenly a thought struck her.

"Hey, Izumi-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Why couldn't Koushirou call instead of you?"

"Oh." Izumi said nonchalantly. "The connection on Koushirou's phone sucks. AT&T, you know..."

------

**In Koushirou's car, driving to the commercial part of Tokyo**

Koushirou glanced at his companion, who was sitting in the backseat of his car, in the rearview mirror. She was a very pretty, curvy sort of woman with a pair of dark eyes that were currently turned away and staring at the car window, which was being pounded by an onslaught of snow and rain.

"You're pretty quiet." Koushirou commented.

His friend let out a light laugh. "Well, I've never been as energetic and talkative as Taichi," she said, smiling.

Koushirou snorted in derisive laughter. "Like anyone can be." He paused. "That dunce is one in a million, ne?"

"Aa." She agreed, her eyes became a little misty. "I've missed him."

"We all have." Koushirou said quietly.

An awkward silence fell between the two as Koushirou drove on. Finally, the two arrived at Haneda Airport. The two walked around aimlessly at first, trying to find the gate where Taichi was waiting by themselves, but eventually giving up and appealing to some pleasant-looking, middle-aged policemen at the airport for help. They kindly pointed the gate out, and, thanking them, Koushirou and his companion went off where the policemen had directed them.

"He should be at the gate already, right?" His friend, who had silently been following him all this time, spoke up.

"He should." Koushirou said distractedly, still turning his head about and craning his neck to see above the crowd, which was pretty hard, considering he was a short man for his age. His companion, in fact, was chuckling to herself behind Koushirou's back.

"Did you say something?" Koushirou asked vaguely.

"No." She stifled her giggling. "Nothing." She turned her head, and suddenly caught a whir of copper and sepia in the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Koushirou!" She said suddenly, grabbing Koushirou's arm. "Isn't that him?"

Koushirou followed her field of vision and stopped short in his tracks. "Hey, Taichi!" He called out, waving his hand.

The brunette they had been looking at turned, revealing a relatively young man in his late twenties. He had the look of a man who just got out of bed; his brown hair was disheveled and wild. His hair, originally just brown, had turned auburn probably from being in the sun too much; his skin was finely tanned. The messy hair, the dark skin...this was definitely Taichi.

"Koushirou!"

The trademark smile broke out on Taichi's face as he walked - no, _ran_ - to Koushirou's side. He went about pushing through the crowd, earning stares from people as he raced along. However, he was too caught up in his happiness in seeing his old friend again to care. He finally got to Koushirou, panting and all, throwing his arms around Koushirou's neck.

Koushirou, shocked at first at the display of emotion, softened, enveloping his own arms around Taichi just as tightly. "Its been a while, hasn't it, Taichi?"

Taichi didn't answer; he was staring over his Koushirou's shoulder at Koushirou's friend. His cacao eyes, already wide and deep-set, widened even more when he caught sight of her. He stiffened in Koushirou's embrace, and Koushirou, bewildered, unwrapped himself from the hug and turned to Taichi. "Taichi, what is-"

Taichi found himself face to face with a familiar, flaming-haired woman. She flashed him a tentative smile.

"Taichi." She warmly greeted, walking up to him and clasping his hand.

"Sora." Taichi acknowledged his childhood friend, one he had a long history - of both great affection and great tension - with.

**E/N**:

I bet you all have the general idea where the source of tension between Taichi and Sora is coming from, don'tcha': ) Well Surly Boy is coming back soon.

As for this line,

_Miyako suspected it was because Taichi liked Sora..._

ignore it. This is not a Taiora, don't worry. Don't listen to our dear Miyako. I just put it in there for a good laugh. Poor, naive Miyako-chan doesn't even know the half of it...


	3. Shinboku: Bruised

**Notes:**

_Nani_ - What?  
_Anou _- Uhh...  
_Gomen - _I'm sorry  
_Obaa-san_ - grandmother  
_baka_ - dolt

-----

**Chapter 1: Shinboku, Part II**

**In Koushirou's car, driving from the airport  
**  
Sora Takenouchi was all too aware of the uncomfortable silence that had fallen in Koushirou's car. She had tried catching Taichi's eye from time to time, but he was determinedly averting her gaze and staring at the window. Ever since finding out that Taichi was also coming for Miyako and Ken's New Year party, Sora had hoped to finally catch up with her old friend and had accompanied another childhood friend, Koushirou, to pick up Taichi. Even an exchange of a few words other than polite greetings between the two would've made her happy, but it seemed she wasn't even going to get that. Sighing inwardly, she contented herself for the time being in observing her old friend.

He hadn't changed much, at least not in appearance. He still had the same subtle charm to his looks. At first glance he was alright; nothing special; but once you got to really get a good look at him, he was rather good-looking. His hair wasn't so much bushy as it was messy now, and the unkempt look actually made him look quite attractive. He had, however, Sora noted, grown out of his scrawny build and medium height. He was now relatively tall and had a lean frame. His smile had undergone some changes as well. Once his best feature, his smile had become perhaps the most difficult to look at. It was tinged with some kind of lassitude Sora had never seen before, and it made her heart heavy.

The stillness of the atmosphere was only broken with Koushirou's grunts. He had been squirming in his seat for a while now, and was driving notably faster. Taichi noticed, and a slight smile broke out on his face-

"Hey, Koushirou, are you that desperate to get rid of us?" Taichi joked.

Sora pulled her eyes away from Taichi to glance at Koushirou. "Yeah, Koushirou, what's up?"

Koushirou gave a strained smile. "No, its nothing, you guys."

"Riight." Taichi said, rolling his eyes. "You obviously need to shit, Koushirou, and badly at that." Indeed, Koushirou's face was screwed up in an odd sort of way.

"Alright, I need the bathroom, okay?" Koushirou blurted out. He turned to Sora. "D'you think I could use the bathroom at your parents' place?" He had originally planned to drop Sora off at her old home in Odaiba - she was going to stay with her parents for the next week - and then head for his winterhouse in Yokohama straight away.

"Well, my parents are probably still out bowling with Asuka and Tsuzuki, but I have a spare key. So yes, you could."

"Thanks, Sora." Koushirou said gratefully, as Koushirou reached the Takenouchi residence.

Koushirou didn't even bother to really park; he simply left the car in front of the house and bolted for the front door. Sora had barely unlocked the front door when Koushirou burst inside and ran to the bathroom, and disappeared from sight in a flash.

Sora blinked. "He has diarrhea, doesn't he?"

Taichi actually laughed. "Oh yes."

The two had just settled in the living room, when Sora asked, "You want a cup of tea?"

"Yeah sure, why not?"

Sora excused herself, and exited the living room for a few minutes. Taichi stared in the direction where Sora had gone off for a moment. He sighed resignedly, and sat down, staring at the carpetted floor. He was still doing this when Sora came back not too long after. She sat down next to Taichi, put down two steaming mugs of tea on the coffee table. Without meeting her eyes, Taichi thanked her.

Yet another uncomfortable silence fell between the two as Taichi put the mug of tea to his lips. Koushirou still had not come back. It was just Sora and Taichi. Taichi was cursing Koushirou and his diarrhea in his mind when Sora spoke up, her voice wry, -

"Are you going to drink that, or are you just going to put the cup at your lips like that forever?"

"_N-Nani_?"

"Your cup of tea." Sora pointed out. "Its been at your lips for the past like 8 minutes."

"Oh!" Taichi turned a few shades redder. "Sorry." Taichi hurriedly gulped down some tea.

Sora watched him, a small smile gracing her lips. "I've missed you, you know." She asseverated.

Slightly taken aback by this admission, he quickly recovered. With one of his first genuine smiles of the evening, he said, "I've missed you, too."

"I heard you joined the army." Sora spoke even as she drank her tea.

"Yeah. The air force, to be exact." Taichi ratified.

"The army huh..." _Don't people in the army have to shave their heads?_ An image of a bald and shiny-headed Taichi crossed Sora's mind; complete with Taichi wearing an unnecessarily toothy grin. This cockeyed projection of Taichi made her choke on her tea. She made a bizarre sort of sound that was something of both a cough and a giggle.

"_Anou_...Sora? Are you okay?" Taichi looked at Sora closer, and to his bewilderment, Sora was...laughing.

"Hey, Taichi," Sora gasped, wheezing in a fit of mirth, "Don't people in the army have to-" Sora made a weird shaving motion, "Have to, you know, _shave their heads_?" She barely managed to say the last three words.

Realization dawned on Taichi, and with a loud thud, he put his mug of tea down on the table, the contents of the mug spilling out slightly.

"_Hell no_! Sora! Have you been imagining me bald!"

Sora nodded, unable to talk; she was laughing too much. Taichi glared at her.

"_Gomen, gomen_," Sora apologized, and stopped laughing and put on a decidedly straight face. "So do you have to shave your heads?"

"No, we don't have to shave our heads." Taichi answered, a bit testily, "We just have to cut our hair really short. But my hair grows back really fast, so that's why you don't see much of the difference."

"Did you ever marry?" Sora asked, still breathing hard.

A strange expression crossed Taichi's face, and he said in a placid voice, "Yeah, actually. To Sakuya Tomoyo. I met her in the army; she was also a major. We had a son, Hiroshi."

Sora gave a start. "A son? Where is he?"

"At his _Obaa-san_'s." Taichi answered curtly.

"And your wife?"

"...She's dead."

Sora stared at Taichi.

"She was stationed at Africa two years ago and contracted HIV from this kid who died in her arms. She passed away a few months ago."

"I'm sorry." Sora said with veracity. "Did you love her?"

Taichi smiled humourlessly. "Well, we were friends. We were pretty close - not close like you and I were, but close enough. We really only married to support each other, do our duty and continue our family line, you know?" Taichi paused. "Neither of us really wanted to get married. I just didn't feel like it, and Tomoyo was a very independent woman. Marriage was just going to tie her down, and she didn't want that. Our friends, though; they were always pressuring the two of us to get married. And one time a group of us happened to be vacationing at Las Vegas."

Sora's eyebrows shot up so far they could've disappeared into her forehead. "Don't tell me-"

"Yes, we did. We got married. It was a spur of the moment thing, but hey, we had to get married, so why not to each other, right there and then?"

Sora shook her head. "Wow," She said, marveling. "..._A lot_ happened to you."

"Yeah..." Taichi agreed reservedly, avoiding Sora's eyes and pretended to be interested in Sora's mother's living room. An inexplicit ache plagued him he took in his surroundings. Everywhere around him were pictures of a little blonde-haired girl and an even smaller redheaded boy, who were unmistakably Sora's and Yamato's children. They were hung up on the walls, and some framed photos were even placed on top of the TV.

"Well..." Taichi said, laughing lightly. "No need to ask _you_ if you were married. You're married to Yamato, no?" It was the first time he had said his ex-best friend's name in years.

Sora's eyes saddened. "We divorced, actually." She said quietly.

Taichi's eyes immediately swiveled to Sora. "What?" He exclaimed, startled. Then, remembering his manners, he placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Sora...I'm sorry."

Smiling reminiscently at her childhood friend's touch, she reached over her shoulder and squeezed Taichi's hand. "Still the same bad liar, as always. You really are the lovable _baka_." Sora commented, half-disparagingly, half-fondly. "Especially to Yamato." Taichi's head jerked up, looking at Sora, whose eyes bored into his.

"You...?"

Sora nodded.

"I know you two were together."


	4. You and I: Emotion

**Notes: Tamagochi **is a digital pet. **Koji Nanjo** is from ZetsuAi. **Full Moon **is from Full Moon Wo Sagashite. **Fukuda **is the director of the anime Gundam SEED Destiny. The series disappointed several fans, including myself. And that's all you really need to know.

**Chapter 2: You and I, Unfulfilled Feelings, Part I**

"I know you two were together."

Taichi's eyes widened as Sora made this statement. _She...KNOWS? He actually told... I never would've thought... he actually had the nerve to..._ **_I can't believe this..._** Taichi thought to himself in perplexity as he watched the unblinking expression on his friend's face. After struggling for a couple of minutes to register what she told him, he managed an attempt at a smile.

"Wow, you _were_ married to Yamato," Taichi remarked lightly. "Did you know he wears a pink apron too?"

Sora shot him one of her 'Don't-be-a-nincompoop' looks. If her eyebrows were any more together, she'd have a unibrow.

"Okay, okay," Taichi conceded, throwing his palms in the air, "I'm sorry. It was stupid. As Koushirou would've put it, it was a prodigiously pinheaded comment. I didn't know what to say."

"You're forgiven," Sora said, smiling slightly. "You always did say the wrong thing at the wrong time."

Taichi ignored this jab at his character, and persisted, "So what did he tell you?"

"Not much. All he really told me was that you two were together in middle school."

Taichi snorted. "That's _all_ he told you? He didn't even you, he-"

"Well he did say more or less why you two broke up," Sora interjected, pausing. "I know it was because of me."

"Because of _you_?" Taichi sputtered angrily, leaping up from the sofa. "Sora, this is _not_ your fault. It's not so much a matter of _why_ we broke up than _how_ and what he _fucking **DID**-" _

"How is it that you manage to incorporate a curse word into at least one sentence -every- single time I see you?" drawled a third voice.

Taichi and Sora whirled around. "Koushirou!" Sora exclaimed. "You're _finally_ out of the bathroom."

Koushirou winced. "Yeah, after twenty minutes or so. I feel like I just went through labor."

Sora punched Koushirou lightly in the arm. "Don't compare your trivial diarrhea to bearing babies. Giving birth is a lot harder."

"That's hard to argue," Koushirou responded. "But even that can be as bad as what's bothering Taichi. Taichi, are you alright?"

Taichi exhaled deeply. "I'm fine, Koushirou."

"Fine indeed. You look like a woman scorned," Koushirou said wryly, watching Taichi. "Tell me, who is this elusive _he_?"

"A turd," Taichi replied, tensing. "Just what did you hear anyway...?"

"Nothing. Just 'what he fucking did.'" Koushirou cited, glancing between Taichi and Sora. "So, what did he do?"

"Forget it, Koushirou," Sora said wearily. "Taichi's still pissed off for what Fukuda did to Destiny."

"You're not over that?" Koushirou asked, surprised. "Taichi, it's just an anime."

"Can we head back to your place already?" Taichi asked irritably, walking toward the door.

"You don't give me much of a choice," Koushirou answered smoothly, concealing a smile.

As the three of them approached the door, Koushirou turned to Sora and warmly embraced her. "Well, see you around, Sora."

Sora beamed affectionately at her old friend as she opened the door for him. "You too, shorty."

Koushirou answered, "Regardless of my height, I won't stoop to the level of answering you back."

Koushirou exited. Just as Taichi was about to, Sora grabbed his arm. "Wait. Can we meet up later? Say...three o clock? At my house?"

Taichi hesitated, but nodded. "Of course."

Sora warned, "Don't be late."

Taichi paused, his eyes glinting. "I'll try not to be," Taichi said, fighting back a smile.

Sora groaned. "That means you're going to be late."

-----

**At the Ichijouji Residence**

"Miyako, you cannot be serious," Hikari Yagami stated disbelievingly as her eyes swept the Ichijoujis' guest room. "This room is-"

"Extremely, very, incredibly, terribly messy, I know," her friend finished desperately, "But Hikari, that's why I called you here. I need you to help me clean it up."

Miyako was experiencing a terrible crisis. Momo, her older cousin, was celebrating her anniversary with her husband in New Zealand. As they did every once a year, the two had left their energetic and carefree daughter, Mika, in Miyako's care. The girl had been a hyperactive maverick, and a great slob to boot. She had left six days ago, and Miyako had neglected to clean after her. Truthfully she'd been a bit scared to even enter the guest room.

"What on earth was that girl doing in this room?" Hikari wondered.

"Mika can get a bit wild," Miyako tried to smile. "She's lovable like that."

"Or irresponsible. How old is she?"

"Sixteen."

"She should've learned how to clean by that age!" Hikari exclaimed, astounded. "Why didn't she take all this stuff back anyway?"

"Because she's going to come back here next year, and the year after that," Miyako said impatiently. "That and she's a spoiled little brat who has another room with another set of clothing and magazines. Look, just help me clean it okay? Daisuke's arriving tonight, and I can't let him sleep in the room like this."

"I'll do my best." Hikari said, still looking mystified.

Miyako's face lit up. "Thanks!" Miyako said happily. She hugged Hikari briefly before leaving to clean the rest of the house.

Hikari looked at the pile of CD albums at her feet. _I guess I'll start small._

Hikari cleared a space on the floor. She plopped on the ground and began stacking up the albums. She noted the names on the albums: TM Revolution, Nami Tamaki, FictionJunction YUUKA, Kelly Clarkson, Tokio Hotel...even a classical composer named Rachmaninoff. _This kid has pretty good taste,_ Hikari mused. Other than a few (talented) contemporaries, such as Koji Nanjo and Full Moon, the artists in Mika's music collection were classic vintage.

"Oh yeah, Hikari!" Miyako called.

"What is it now?"

"Um, well...Takeru's coming."

"**_What?_! **_Now?_! Why didn't you tell me beforeha-"

_Riiinnng!_

"...Yeah. That would be him now."

Hikari shook her head. "Whatever," she muttered. In an attempt to distract herself, Hikari returned to stacking up Mika's CDs. She tried to ignore the approaching footsteps resounding in the corridor.

"Hikari?" called none other than Takeru Takaishi from down the hallway.

"I'm here," Hikari said. _Although I wish I wasn't, _she added silently in her head.

"Miyako said she needed me to help you clean the guest room, is it really that mes-" Takeru stopped mid-sentence as he stood at the doorway.

"Holy shit."

Takeru gaped at Mika's disarrayed bedroom. Fashion magazines, shirts, pants, skirts, and anime collectibles covered the entire floor. Decades-old posters on the walls were turning yellow and falling apart. Her drawers were open and bursting with clothing. Bras were carelessly strewn over the bed, and underwear hung shamelessly on the bedposts in public view.

"It looks impossible to clean," Takeru observed.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Hikari said dryly, stacking up Mika's magazines. "Can you stop gawking and help me?"

"I'll try," Takeru said dubiously, stepping into the room.

He bent down and peered at the miniscule egg-shaped electronic device before him. "Wow, is that a Tamagochi?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Mika still keeps one around?" Takeru asked, amused. "She's like what, sixteen? She's a bit old for that."

"Never," Hikari said, her lips curving, "Call a girl old. And what's it to you if she keeps a Tamagochi? It's called a keepsake."

"Keepsake?" Takeru repeated, walking toward the drawers. "Do you keep any?"

"Maybe." Hikari answered, not looking at Takeru.

"You do? What could you possibly..." Takeru trailed off, looking down. "What the heck is that?"

Hikari followed Takeru's glance. "Apparently it's a broken tip pencil with a pen cap on it. There's a pen somewhere here that's going to dry out soon."

"Geez, she even misplaced a pen cap," Takeru commented, clicking his tongue.

Takeru continued to sift through Mika's drawers. "How is it that there are more bras and underwear in here than shirts and pants?" Takeru wondered.

"What can you say. Some girls are crazy about lingerie," Hikari said, shrugging. "Pass me those anime merchandise over there."

"Will do," Takeru agreed, lifting up a pile of doujinshi, bromides, uchiwas, plushies, and gashapon figurines.

Takeru dumped the group of merchandise at Hikari's feet. Hikari glanced over them.

"Tokyo Underground, Soukyuu no Fafner, Wolf's Rain...not bad," She said appreciatively. "And aww, it's a Winry and Ed clear file."

"Winry and Ed...Full Metal Alchemist?" Takeru asked. "My brother loved that show. The only anime he really likes, in fact."

"Oh really?" Hikari said in mild surprise. "Yamato?"

"Yep! Speaking of Yamato, he's coming."

"Today?"

Takeru nodded. His face screwed up in an effort to remember. "Two o clock...or was it three? I really don't remember what he said."

"Mmm.." Hikari nodded, falling silent.

"Taichi...is coming too."

Takeru looked around Hikari uneasily.

"Hikari-"

Hikari abruptly stood up. "I'll go pull down those posters," Hikari said stiffly. She started walking toward the wall opposite Mika's bed.

Takeru sighed. He stood there for a moment, and began to fold Mika's clothing.

"_AHHHH_!" Hikari let out a shriek.

Takeru immediately rushed to Hikari, who had evidently stumbled over a stack of CDs. Hikari crashed into Takeru, her weight slamming Takeru hard into a bookshelf behind him. The shelf trembled, and the sound of glass shattering reverberated throughout the room. Takeru was aware of the intimacy in their position as Hikari laid on top of Takeru's chest, breathing deeply on his neck. Takeru felt a rush of heat escape his direction. Hikari too looked embarrassed; her cheeks were blossoming a brilliant pink.

Hikari stretched her neck, looking away. "S-Sorry about that," Hikari stammered. "I-oh no."

Hikari looked in dismay at the remains of the heart-shaped paperweight that had been on top of the bookshelf. The heart was now split in pieces.

"Oh. No," Hikari moaned, burying her face in her hands. "That did NOT just happen."

"It's alright," Takeru said, bending down to pick up the shards of the broken paperweight. "I'll clean this up. You keep pulling down the posters."

"No way!" Hikari exclaimed. "I broke it. I should be the one who cleans up this mess."

"Hikari, really," Takeru protested. "It's okay, I'll just-_owwww._ _**Fudge**._"

Takeru inhaled sharply as he accidentally brushed his finger across a piece of glass. "Ahh, **-CRUD-**," Takeru swore.

"See what happened now?" Hikari admonished Takeru, but kindly. "Now you're hurt."

"A piece of glass won't kill me, Hikari," Takeru said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, but germs can get into your bloodstream," Hikari countered, exiting the room. "I'm going to get a band-aid."

Hikari returned a few moments later, with a band-aid, a roll of paper towel, and a bottle of alcohol in tow. Takeru watched Hikari as she took a paper towel and poured some alcohol on it. She gently took Takeru's hand. Her eyes rested on the bleeding wound on Takeru's index finger.

"It hurts?"

"A bit, yeah," Takeru admitted as Hikari dabbed alcohol on his cut.

"Be more careful next time," Hikari chided Takeru as she enclosed his finger with the band-aid. She smiled at him.

Takeru was startled, but he gave her a smile in return. To Takeru, it felt great to smile at Hikari like this again. They had always remained friends years after their breakup, but they had always been a little awkward around one another up until this moment. It felt like the air between them was clear again. Takeru was relishing the moment when a doorbell ring echoed down the hallway, accompanied moments later by Miyako's yell.

"Hey Takeru!"

"Yeah?" Takeru called back.

"Your girlfriend's here."

-----

"...So, no, I didn't vote for him," Jyou Kido concluded as he and Sora walked down the street. Jyou had arrived yesterday, and suggested meeting up at the local Odaiba park. Jyou and Sora were returning to her house from a stroll in the park, where the two chatted animatedly of politics. Jyou was very passionate in conversing about several hot button issues, and was now telling Sora why he didn't vote for Morosawa Yukihiro as a representative of Nara in the House of Councillors.

"Well, his stand on education is pretty good," Sora said in Morosawa's defense.

"Yes, but that's only one issue out of a million. I don't agree with his other platforms, and he's very weak on crime," Jyou argued, his eyes sparking indignantly.

"I guess so," Sora replied, the corners of her mouth turning up. Jyou was adorable, particularly when the two were discussing political issues.

"So is everyone coming to the reunion?"

"Yep," Sora answered. "I'm actually meeting Taichi at my house right now."

"Taichi? Really? He hasn't kept in touch."

"It's not like we made much of an effort either," Sora noted wryly.

"It's sad, how everyone drifted apart," Jyou said glumly.

"Oh, so you're saying you regret having me all to yourself?" Sora asked playfully.

Jyou looked up in alarm. "_What_! Sora, I didn't mean..."

"I know, I know," Sora said, laughing. She poked Jyou in the chest. "I was just kidding."

Sora suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Wow," Sora said, blinking. "Jyou, what time is it?"

"It's a minute after three. Why?"

Sora nodded at the person standing on her porch. "Taichi's actually on time."

"You're late, Sora," Taichi called cheerfully.

"And you're punctual, for a change," Sora replied, walking up the steps to her house.

Taichi looked over at Jyou and his eyes brightened.

"Jyou!" He walked over toward Jyou, and clapped him on the shoulder. "How are you?"

Jyou smiled at Taichi. "I'm good," Jyou said warmly. "How've you been, Taichi?"

"Good, good.." Taichi grinned. "Still sporting long hair, I see. Are the girls going goo-goo-ga-ga over you?"

"Yeah, are they?" Sora asked, her eyes dancing with mock accusatory glee.

Jyou's face turned crimson. "_No!_, no, no," Jyou denied, chuckling nervously.

"Well, if any girl tries to cop a feel, inform me immediately," Sora said, smiling broadly.

"Possessive, much?" Taichi asked cheekily. "What's it to you if Jyou gets a girl that..._oh. Shit._" Taichi finally caught a glimpse of Jyou's and Sora's intertwined fingers.

"You two...are together?" Taichi asked disbelievingly.

"You just noticed?" Sora retorted before Jyou could say anything.

Taichi blinked, before roaring with laughter. "Well, I sure missed a lot while I was gone."

---

**E/N:** That was a fun chapter to write XD Bear with me until the Taito shows up -bows- It'll show up soon, I promise! And thank you to all those who are still reading this story after a two-year hiatus -sheepish- Oh and I haven't written in a while, so I might have been a little rusty. Sorry!

Thank you to mina for telling me it was diarrhea, not constipation. -runs off to revise Part II of Ch 1-


End file.
